Local destinations as strategic units: Identifying hierarchical competitiveness structures through Delphi–AHP

Recent trends in tourism highlight a growing emphasis on localized experiences that reflect local distinctiveness and community identity. This study redefines local destinations as micro-scale, place-based units integrating locality, placeness, and community-based tourism. It examines their role in sustainable local revitalization amid population decline and metropolitan concentration. Using a Delphi–AHP approach with tourism experts, it identifies and prioritizes key determinants of local destination competitiveness. The framework conceptualizes local destinations as lived spaces where cultural authenticity arises through residents' and stakeholders’ everyday participation rather than staged performances. The results indicate that resource utilization and infrastructure development are the most critical factors. At the same time, stakeholder groups show divergent priorities, underscoring the need for coordinated governance to address potential misalignment risks. Theoretically, this research advances destination competitiveness studies by shifting the analytical focus to the micro-scale and demonstrating that competitiveness depends on the hierarchical structuring and sequencing of factors rather than on their relative importance. By emphasizing dependency-aware implementation that secures community foundations before advancing market-facing strategies, the study provides practical guidance for communities seeking to design tourism strategies that revitalize rather than displace local life.